Did Schenectady County jail drug find get flushed?

My colleague Paul Nelson has a story in today’s paper on allegations that a veteran Schenectady County jail administrator ordered heroin and pills seized from a inmate to be flushed down the toilet.

From Paul’s story:

The individuals, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss personnel issues, said Superintendent James Barrett gave the directive sometime last week to a lieutenant, ostensibly because the female inmate, Nicole Karandy, 25, is the daughter of a plumber working on a new home Barrett is having built in rural Schenectady County.

A jail employee, apparently upset by the alleged cover-up, sent a letter detailing the incident to the state Commission of Correction. “We’re aware of an incident, and we’re investigating,” said commission spokeswoman Janine Kava.

Barrett, who has more than two decades on the job and according to payroll records earns $81,718 a year, said Wednesday that the department is “in the middle of an ongoing investigation regarding certain accusations.” “It’s very difficult to be the disciplinarian in a facility such as this,” he added. “There is an ongoing investigation that I am confident will dispel any false allegations and rumors.”